U.S. News and World Report
May 28, 2008
Making sure kids have good healthcare is something everybody agrees is important, but a new report shows that some states do a much better job than others of making good on that intention. Aiming to cover more of the roughly 9 million children who lack insurance, both Democratic presidential candidates have called for universal coverage for children. Without a stronger commitment at the federal level, it’s hard to imagine how we’re ever going to address the inequities highlighted by the report so that kids can count on getting the care they need no matter where they live.
Organized as a score card, the Commonwealth Fund report examined how states perform on 13 different indicators in five categories: access to care, quality of care, cost, potential to lead healthy and productive lives, and equity in the quality of care provided regardless of race, income, or insurance status. It ranked states within each category and then assigned states a final overall ranking.